by Karin Biggs
“We’re enemies,” he said, jerking away from my touch. “And you’re the princess. Paris, I mean, Piper, you can’t be here. They’ll find out. And they’ll…they’ll throw you in prison. Or kill you! You…you have to leave.”
I shook my head, wanting his words to be different—wanting so badly for him to change his mind and ask me to stay. I reached my fingers out to touch him. “Ari…please, I—”
“You lied to me!” He took another step back. “You’re no different from Tasha or my dad. You need to leave. Now.” Under the silver light of the moon, his soft eyes were dark, nearly matching his threatening look from my nightmares. He turned his back to me and spoke so softly that I could barely hear him over the fireworks but just loud enough to kill my soul. “You have to go. We can never be anything more than enemies.”
My head spun.
I needed to leave.
I pushed my way through the tall hedges concealing the moose statue and headed to the public transportation stop at the bottom of the hill.
“Paris! Where are you going?” Layla’s voice shouted behind me. She sprinted down the wide set of stairs of the terrace that blocked the hidden moose.
I couldn’t respond, couldn’t repeat the painful words Ari had just spoken and relive the pain all over again. I hit the call button on the kiosk.
“An auto-taxi is…one quarter of a mile away. Would you like me to call it for you?”
“Yes, dammit! Get me out of here!” I shouted, hitting the call button even harder.
“You’re leaving now?” asked Layla. “I thought—”
“I don’t belong here, Layla. I’m leaving because…”
Because my mother was dead, and I was an idiot for believing she was alive. Because the boy I loved rejected me. Because he said we could never be anything more than enemies. And because I knew he was right.
“Miss Marigold, don’t leave.” Darden sprinted toward us. “Is this about Ari? Just give him some time. I’m sure—”
“No!” Anger filled every inch of my body with heat so strong, I felt like I could melt a frozen lake. “This is your fault,” I said, turning to point a finger at Darden. “How could you fill my head with false hope?” I moved my finger to Layla. “It’s your fault too. You said yourself that love isn’t worth the pain and you both…you both told me to tell him. And…and now he hates me!”
“Miss Marigold, if you could just—”
“My name is Piper, Darden. Piper Parish, Princess of Capalon.”
Darden’s eyes widened.
Layla’s mouth dropped. “The princess?”
“Yeah, didn’t see that one coming, did you? Or maybe you did since you’ve been calling me ‘princess’ from the beginning. How ironic, right?”
Darden took a step forward. “Piper, maybe Miss Tanvi and I thought you and Ari were the exception and we thought, well we hoped that—”
I shook my head. “No. I know why you both did it.” I paced back and forth, waiting for the taxi. “Deep down, you know that we’re enemies and you both wanted to hurt me. I can never be with Ari. And I should have never come here. It was a mistake. My sister was right. Coming here was a waste of time.” I lifted my arms and shouted up at the sky. “I never even got to see it snow!”
The auto-taxi’s tires crunched over the gravel behind me. “I’m getting matched in two days on my real birthday and I couldn’t be happier! There’s a reason why Capalons don’t believe in romantic love and this is why. All I’ve been able to think about since I’ve been here is Ari. How would Capalon be the greatest kingdom in The Lands if we had something like romantic love occupying our minds all the time? It’s pathetic!”
Layla took a step forward. “If that’s what you want to believe, then fine. We’re enemies. You don’t deserve to be with Ari and you don’t deserve to be our friend!”
I climbed inside the taxi.
“Have a nice life, princess.” Before Darden could add anything to Layla’s sentiments, she slammed the door closed.
“What is your destination?” asked the voice from the console.
“Capalon,” I said, sinking down in the seat.
“Entrance to Capalon is prohibited. I can drop you off at the nearest auto-taxi station.”
“Fine!”
The vehicle lurched forward, and I ignored the finale of fireworks bursting behind me as my tears turned to sobs. I cried for Ari, I cried for my mother, I cried for my friends and I cried for myself.
Tasting the forbidden evils of love in all its forms only led to suffering. The pain of my stupidity weighed on me like a pile of boulders. I kept my eyes shut tight until I could no longer see the glow of fireworks through my eyelids.
When my wet sobs turned to dry, trembling breaths, I peeled my eyes open to see only darkness inside the vehicle.
This is where I belong. In darkness, away from the light of false hope.
I sat up as relief numbed my body.
I didn’t have to feel pain.
In Capalon, love was an illusion of the mind. Citizens of Capalon were required to turn off their emotions.
“Chip, talk me down.”
The interior of the auto-taxi filled with blue light as Chip steadied my breathing.
My heartbeat settled into a slow, melodic rhythm with a newfound appreciation for my kingdom. Capalons avoided distraction for the success of innovation.
And I would no longer be distracted.
I would no longer be a failure.
“Chip, put me back online.”
There was only one version of myself worth living—Piper Parish, Princess of Capalon.
“Princess, you have two unheard messages. Would you like me to play them for you?” Chip asked.
I sighed. “Okay.”
“Go on,” said my sister’s voice.
Sniffing covered the mouth of my sister’s receiver. “Hello, Princess Piper,” said a little boy’s voice. “My name is Walter Breason, son of George and Joanna Breason of the Engineering Ward. I…I’m the one who wrote you the false message about your mother. I was in the Meeting Hall kitchen with my classmate. We were consuming ice berries. We had too many and the forbidden amount of sugar infiltrated our minds. It was my idea to leave you the note. My…my decision was spurred by rumors of your strange beliefs about your mother. I’m so very remorseful.”
“And how do you plan to correct your distracted behavior?” my sister asked.
“With eight hours of self-discipline in Focus.”
“End of message. Play next message?” Chip asked.
I sighed. “Yes.”
My mother’s voice hit my eardrums, causing lightning to strike down my spine. “Gavin, you seem distracted this evening.”
“I’m just concentrating on the points I want to bring up to…wait, that’s odd.”
“What is it?”
“The temperature gauge. I think it’s spiking.”
“I’ll check the coolant tank.” I heard a faint click from my mother’s restraint belt. “It’s probably just—”
An explosion screamed through the feed, followed by the sickening sound of metal twisting around metal and a roaring fire.
“Chip, how long is this message?” I asked in horror.
“Eleven minutes,” Chip’s voice said under the continual sound of the fire.
“End message! End it! Now!” For the three months I was absent, my sister felt the most beneficial audios to share were the admission of the writer of my secret message and a recording of my parents’ deaths. I should have been furious for her vicious act but it was the way of a Capalon’s thinking—sharing the hard facts to support a hypothesis.
Without listening to the rest of the audio, I knew why she let it continue for eleven minutes. Because there would be no other sounds for eleven minutes until the rescue vehicles arrived. It was hard evidence—the evidence she hoped would finally settle my mind about my mother.
Two auto-taxis approached mine and one passed to take the lead. As it p
assed, I saw the familiar face of the female Capalon patrol officer from the Village. Going back online made me visible to anyone tracking my Bio-System. When we arrived at the auto-taxi rest stop, the two officers instructed me not to leave my vehicle through Chip. After running a health and weapons diagnostic, one of our smaller speedcraft models landed in a grassy field on the opposite side of the LVR. They marched me to the aircraft and after we landed in Capalon, I was led me straight to my sister’s office.
Before stepping inside, I glimpsed myself in the reflective metal door—wearing the glittering silver performance gown and my new brown hair curled into an updo that allowed only a few loose strands to escape. Streaks of black mascara covered my cheeks and my bright red lipstick smudged over my lip and onto my chin. I looked like a sad joke or the epitome of a Capalon’s image of a Mondarian.
The door opened to reveal my sister sitting at her desk in a long charcoal evening robe. She looked me up and down with a stone-cold expression and waited for the door to shut behind me before she spoke. “Chip, switch Piper back to auto-operation and reset her search restrictions.”
Chip’s voice responded to my sister through my wrist. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Evelyn cleared her throat. “Welcome back, sister. Was your trip a success?”
I clenched my jaw and kept my focus on the back of her monitors.
“I had to tell our inquiring citizens that you left for some confidential research on water energy down in Whitefalls. Thankfully, nobody questioned your intentions. And even though you found a way to set your Bio-System to manual, we can still find a ping from you within a ten-mile radius. We just weren’t able to pin down your exact location—another technical error we need to improve.” She tapped her fingers on the desk. “A patrol officer was arrested during your search. I haven’t heard if they’ve executed him yet. Look at me, Piper.”
My eyes didn’t move.
She slammed her hands against her desk. “Look at your queen!”
Heart racing, I forced my eyes to meet hers. They were my mother’s eyes, surrounded by my father’s bone structure. Keeping her glare on my face, she pulled something out of her pocket—the white card with the secret message about our mother bounced to the edge of the desk.
“I did what you suggested and had some tests run on the paper. It’s a new stock paper the primary school is using for drafting exercises. You received my audios?”
“Yes. Both of them,” I forced out in a low voice.
She nodded with approval. “What is your interpretation of the audios and your illegal trip to Mondaria on the subject of Mother’s life?”
“Mother is dead, Evelyn. You were right. Can I please just go to my room now?”
Her knuckles turned white against the desk. “You have no idea what kind of danger you put yourself and your kingdom in by entering Mondaria. Did you make it inside the king’s Mansion?”
I swallowed. “No.”
“What have you been doing for the past three months?”
I pulled my shoulders back and straightened my neck. “I found work as a server in a cafe using a Mondarian girl’s ID I found in the creek. I never set foot in the Mansion.”
She pursed her lips. “Your appearance says otherwise. Or do Mondarian servers wear ball gowns when they’re giving their customers artery-clogging foods?”
I inhaled to steady my heart as the lie formed in my head. “I was attending a costume party for a Mondarian Holiday when I felt homesick and—”
“Home sick? Are you ill? Your scans came back normal.”
I bit my lip. “No, um…I felt a longing for the kingdom of my birth and finally listened to your audios. That’s when I ended my search and came back.”
Evelyn nodded, but a hint of suspicion lingered behind her eyes. “What happened to your hair?”
“It was a protective measure by my own doing.”
“Did you tell anyone who you were?”
Darden and Layla figured out who I was on their own. The queen put the pieces together herself and told Maestro. But I had only told one person—a fact that I wanted to forget. “No. I kept to myself and nobody questioned me. Now may I please go to my room?”
My sister crossed her arms. “I think I deserve an apology, Piper.”
“I’m sorry for putting the kingdom in danger.”
She took a deep breath. “That’s it, then? You’re back home and ready for your match?”
“Yes. I won’t be searching for Mother any further. And I…” air caught in my throat, “and I look forward to meeting my match and preparing for our ceremony.”
Evelyn nodded. “I’ll have a lunch arranged for the three of us tomorrow. You’ll need to be returned to your birth-hair color before any of our citizens lay eyes upon you. Dottie, download the chemical compound for blond hair dye and forward to the grooming droid.”
Evelyn dismissed me, so I bent my head and turned for my room.
“Piper?”
I paused.
“I’m satisfied with your safe return.”
I didn’t respond to my queen and headed to my room for an uncomfortable, restless sleep in my windowless bedroom.
I awoke to the sound of metal tapping metal. The grooming droid waited outside my door until I answered. “Good morning, Princess. It’s time for the reinstatement of birth-color for your hair.”
“What about breakfast?” I asked the tall, oval-shaped droid.
“Her Majesty thought a morning fast would benefit your mind.”
“Of course, she would think that,” I mumbled as I pulled on a grey sweater and matching grey pants.
Near the end of the droid’s hair-dying process, I was eager to meet my match for the simple reason of finally being able to eat. I reviewed his details on the projected image above my wrist as the droid brushed out my hair. His name only appeared as ‘Highest Placement’ followed by every grade, test score, research project and debate speech. The details failed to include a physical description or interests other than research topics.
Our lunch took place in a windowless dining room smaller than my bedroom. I wore my traditional royal Capalon garb—grey pants and a grey high-necked blazer with the kingdom’s insignia over the heart. I waited alone at the cold, grey table until Evelyn entered with my match.
He stood about an inch under my height with red hair, green eyes and a spray of freckles on his cheeks. He was attractive in a way that I think Layla would have described as ‘boyish.’
But there was no more Layla and no more reason to talk about boys with other girls. I punched my thumbnails into my forefingers at the reminder of my terrible last words to Layla.
“Your Highness,” my match said, addressing me. “It’s an honor to have received this position.”
I pushed away thoughts of Layla and smiled at the reference to his union to me being considered a position. I then shoved a barley and kale cube in my mouth and ignored my sister’s glare. It was her fault I had been starved all morning.
Evelyn cleared her throat. “Piper, this is Gregory Harp. Gregory is from the Science Ward. Do you have any questions for Gregory?” she asked with angry eyes.
I sucked a rogue piece of kale off my tooth before speaking. “Um, Gregory…what’s your favorite drink?”
“Peppermint tea. And yours?”
“Hot chocolate,” I said without hesitation.
Both my sister’s and Gregory’s eyes widened.
I licked my lips. “I mean peppermint tea too. It was a joke.”
Gregory smiled and my sister squeezed her hands around her cup of tea, as if it were my neck.
“I enjoy humor at acceptable times of the day too,” Gregory said. “In fact, something humorous occurred in my father’s lab the other day and he shared his experience with my family over dinner. May I share his experience with you, Princess?”
“Yes, sir.”
The spoon my sister held in her teacup fell against the saucer.
Capalon Royalty never addresse
d others as ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am.’
“You have to excuse my sister’s mood, Gregory,” Evelyn said. “She’s choosing to be far too humorous for this occasion. But please, continue your story.”
Gregory continued to tell a dull story about a beaker breaking in his father’s lab while I asked the service droid for at least three more kale cubes and a spoon of salt, if there was any salt available in the entire kingdom.
“Accept,” whispered my sister as she took an incoming call in her ear.
I politely offered my attention to Gregory as he droned on about his father and wished the service droid would have brought my food first before searching Capalon for the salt.
Then two words out of my sister’s mouth killed any ounce of attention I had mustered for Gregory. “A drummer?”
Evelyn turned her head to the side and covered her mouth but I could still hear her. “How long?”
“Chip, open patrol channel,” I said between heavy beats of my heart.
The officer’s voice played in my ear with the most beautiful sound of a steady drum cadence in the background. “He says he won’t stop playing until he can speak with the princess.”
I sprang up, knocking my chair to the floor. “This is Princess Piper. Let me speak to him.”
“Override,” said my sister.
“No!” I shouted. “Patrol, turn on direct communication so I can talk to him.”
“Piper, we’re in the middle of something.” She tilted her head toward a pale-faced Gregory. “And you said you didn’t tell anyone who you were,” she said in a sharp whisper that Gregory could clearly hear.
But there was only one boy I would ever care for and he was at the gate of my kingdom. “Just let me hear what he has to say. Please.”
“Directive?” asked the patrol officer.
My eyes pleaded with Evelyn. “Please, Evie. Maybe he has some sort of message for us. Just let me hear what he has to say.”
She sighed. “Allow for one-way audio from subject.”
There was some muffled talking on the channel, followed by the silence of the drum. “I speak into your wrist?” asked Ari’s voice.
